Pray love, remember
by karli in wonderland
Summary: Alice goes to Biloxi in hopes of uncovering her past... but she may find more than she's prepared for.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I came here in search of something.  
I came here in hopes of finding the missing link, the piece of the puzzle that would elucidate the picture illustrated. But there was something else, something groping and pulling… something I couldn't ignore anymore.

"_He's everything you want, he's everything you need…" _sang Vertical Horizon from my cell phone. I smiled as I flipped it up to my ear.

"ALICE! Alice where in the hell have you been? You nearly gave me a heart attack! You were supposed to call me almost an hour ago!"

"Hi, sweetheart" I managed to get out between giggles. He's so cute when he's worried. "I didn't know the undead could have heart attacks!"

"I just don't like being away from you. Can't I come down there?"

"No, Jasper. I told you I needed time to myself and I wouldn't be very good company—"

"You're always good company to me, Alice. I love you."

"I love you too, Jazz. The sun's coming up in a few hours; I'll be back at the hotel soon."

The only people left lingering were a group of teenagers huddled around a fire, smiling and listening to someone pluck at an acoustic guitar. They looked so happy, so content.

A wave of nostalgia washed over me. Nostalgia for something I can't even remember. I hope I had moments like that when I was human. I hope I laughed, and I hope I knew sunlight.

Jasper says I daydream too much, that I need to be more realistic. Realistic? My very _existence _contradicts the average individual's idea of reality. I'm a vampire. I'm a vampire that can see the future. Which is why I'm here, sitting on a dirty beach in Biloxi, Mississippi.

"_Mary, mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" _

At first I thought it was my imagination, but there she was, all white cotton and blonde hair, throwing flowers at the ocean tide; the girl from my vision. It was her, here, now, but it was wrong. She was supposed to be at a riverbank skipping stones, not on the beach with a wicker basket; and she **certainly** wasn't supposed to be staring at me.

"_With silver bells and cockleshells and pretty maids all in a row"_

Her eyes were staggering. A shade of blue I'd never seen before—startling, icy, blue set against almost translucent skin. I was trying to figure out why she seemed so familiar when she started to walk towards me.

"Who are-" I started, but she interrupted me with a bouquet of white flowers.

"There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember."She said with a slight curtsey.

And then she was gone, racing down the shoreline at the speed of a…

At the speed of a vampire.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I stood there for a while, watching the moonlight dance on the remains of a rubber tire, a cluster of flowers hanging loosely from my right hand—tangible proof that I was not hallucinating, before I decided to make my way back to the hotel room.

The TV was tuned to a documentary, but I knew Jasper had been watching the doorway. He smiled when he saw me, but there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. I suppose I wasn't as relaxed as one should be after an almost four-hour stroll on the beach. He opened his arms, inviting me to curl up against his chest.

"Ugh, I need a cigarette." I pouted.

He chuckled and ran his fingers down my cheek. "What's wrong, my princess?"

I propped myself up on my elbow and turned to face him. "I saw her." I filled in the details, and understanding flickered across his face as he picked up the flowers that had fallen onto the champagne colored carpet.

"What do we do now?" He asked as he squeezed a bud between his fingers. He didn't like being here. He thought this endeavor would be completely fruitless and would only leave me baffled and hurt. I was beginning to see his point.

* * *

I spent the next two days rummaging through articles, obituaries, anything and everything pertaining to my family or St. Veran's Hospital: the only two things that I could think of that would tie me to Flower Girl. I couldn't help but assume we were, indeed, connected in some way; something in those electric eyes recognized me, spoke to me… haunted me.

"St. Veran's fire… one of the saddest things to happen to this community; took the life of the best damn doctor Biloxi had ever seen." A soft voice spoke behind me.

I turned to see a middle-aged man reading over my shoulder. He noted the confusion in my eyes, and nodded towards the paper in my hand. I had been so intent on forgetting the vision of the Flower Girl I hadn't noticed the headline:

'**Twenty-five Die in St. Veran's Fire; Arson Suspected'**

"They printed up a memorial page," he continued, "it should be in there somewhere"

"Thank you" I called after him as he toddled off to help a woman track down a copy of _The Devil Wears Prada_. I located the spread easily, and scanned it for any trace of familiarity. I could feel the frustration mounting and just as I was on the verge of giving up, when my eyes met a familiar stare. Even in black and white the Flower Girl's gaze was stunning. There wasn't much written about her, a pang of empathy shot through my chest.

Margaret Ruth Allen was just another 'special' girl, shunned by an intolerant society and thought dead by her family. I saw so much of myself in her innocent face; I knew I wouldn't rest until I understood every facet of her troubled mind. I had never felt as determined, as driven as I did in that moment.


End file.
